Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 10-27-17

Feature
Police Chief Wants People ‘To Be Careful’
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
In recent days, the topic of conversation has been the three deaths in Seminole Heights. Police said all three deaths are related and have launched an aggressive plan to capture the person or per- sons responsible.
In a recent interview with the Sentinel, Interim Police Chief Brian Dugan said, “We want people to be care- ful. We don’t want them to stay inside their houses, but to come out. We want them to be watchful and to report any suspicious activity to the po- lice. We can’t let someone ter- rorize our neighborhoods like this.”
He chooses his words carefully because he finds himself in a difficult position. “I’m being completely up- front. No Chief wants to admit to having an issue like this. I don’t want to scare peo- ple, but, I don’t want to have to face a fourth family, either. It’s heartbreaking, dealing with these families. I just re- ally feel for them.
“These are all good fami- lies and the victims were all good people. They weren’t leading a lifestyle that would
BRIAN DUGAN Interim Tampa Police Chief
end like this. They didn’t de- serve this,” he said.
Investigators with the Tampa Police Department, assisted by local, state, and federal agencies, are leaving no stones unturned. They are following up on even the smallest of leads, a $25,000 reward is being offered, and police officers are saturating the area. There is a heavy con- centration in the neighbor- hoods during the time the students are going to and from school.
The Victims
So far, the gunman has claimed the lives of three peo- ple. Chief Dugan said the only thing they had in com- mon was that they were all
BENJAMIN MITCHELL 8/31/1995 --- 10/9/2017
shot and they were alone in a certain geographic area at the time.
All of the victims were also killed within a half-mile of each other. Chief Dugan said while there are no clear connections between the vic- tims, there are similarities that make police believe the cases are related.
Around 9 p.m., on October 9th, 22-year-old Benjamin Edward Mitchell was dis- covered at a HART bus stop on North 15th Street at Frier- son Avenue. He was trans- ported to a local hospital, where he died as a result of his injuries.
Mitchell was close to his residence when he encoun- tered the gunman.
MONICA HOFFA 4/11/1985 --- 10/11/2017
On October 13, 2017 at ap- proximately 9:30 a.m., the body of Ms. Monica Cari- dad Hoffa, 32, was found in a vacant lot in the 1000 block of New Orleans Avenue. The last contact anyone had with her was on October 11th. Po- lice believe she was shot around 8:45 p.m. that night as she walked through the area to meet a friend.
Police said she was not married and didn’t have any children to keep her in a rou- tine. And, she wasn’t reported missing because she would often stay with friends for a few days at a time.
On October 19, 2017 at ap- proximately 7:57 p.m., An- thony Naiboa, 20, a slightly autistic individual, was walk- ing north on 15th Street in the area of Wilder Avenue in Tampa. As he was walking, he was shot and died at the scene.
The Suspects
Chief Dugan said at this
point, there is no clear cut suspect. “It could be a man, woman, or it could be more than one person. We just don’t know at this point.
“We are still trying to identify and talk to the person in the video. We are asking anyone with information to contact police.”
$25,000 Reward Offered
Anyone with information about the murders is asked to contact Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 1-800-873- TIPS or www.crimestopper- stb.com.
Information can be pro- vided anonymously and those providing information that leads to the identification and arrest of the suspect may be eligible for the reward.
ANTHONY NAIBOA 5/23/1997 --- 10/19/2017
PAGE 4-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2017